Pediatrician’s Courageous Move into Functional Medicine with Freedom Practice Coaching

Dr. Ana-Maria Temple started her a career as a conventionally-trained pediatrician. When the model didn’t work to keep her own children healthy, she began exploring functional medicine. Now, she runs a thriving integrative pediatrics practice in Charlotte, NC.

She shared her story:

I’m  a traditionally trained pediatrician, and I started down the functional medicine path when my kids were sick and on several medications in 2007. I’m a pediatrician and still couldn’t figure out why they were sick …all the time. I talked to a nutritionist about sugar, started changing their diets, and guess what? They got better.

In 2016, my husband and I moved to New Zealand where I was able to explore how lifestyle changes affect chronic diseases, and that’s when I discovered the field of functional medicine and started to work towards my certification. It was there where I gained the courage to say, “There are no medications to cure you. You have to change your diet and lifestyle.” People changed, and I was blown away when I put the power of healing in their hands.

Discovering Freedom Practice Coaching (FPC)

In September 2017, I had no idea what I would do when we returned to the US. My husband told me to open up my own practice, but I didn’t know how.  I knew a fellow colleague, Pediatrician Sheila Kilbane, and she turned my attention to Freedom Practice Coaching.

I called FPC, got references, and spoke with Dr. Deborah Matthew and Dr. Michael Smith but still was not confident that I could do it on my own. I don’t have a business background and had no idea what the business would look like. So, I interviewed with a private practice and spent three weeks back and forth with them when I finally woke up one day and said, “I’m doing it on my own.”

I contacted FPC and had a call with Founder Dr. Charles Webb, and as he spoke, I kept thinking “Who can I give my credit card to so I can get started?” I’d done my homework, I’d talked to my references and if FPC says this is going to work, it will work.

Starting out, I spent a lot of time getting coffee with anyone who was willing. I talked to doctors. I learned what’s working, what wasn’t. They’d put me in touch with someone else and on the way to and from these meetups, I’d be listening to FPC modules in my car. Everything started coming together. I applied for a license, met with an accountant, opened an LLC, found a space, and started building my team.

Before we opened the doors of Integrative Health Carolinas in May 2018, we had already scheduled 14 PMEs from our Dinner Talks. In our first two weeks, we had moved prospects into our program and collected $21,000. We have grown immensely since then. Our yearly goal was $150,000 and MY goal was to net $250,00 at the end of year one. We tripled this by collecting $450,000, closing up to $83,000 in a month.

Prior to FPC, my biggest obstacle was valuing myself which I overcame thanks to numerous conversations with Angel Santiago, FPC’s mindset coach.

The three biggest take-aways from my FPC experience

• I am worth the price I’m charging. How dare traditional healthcare teach me I’m only worth $25 an appointment? I’ve learned the value that I bring to the table, whether it’s general pediatrics or chronic illness, it supersedes what you get anywhere else.
• Follow the rules. I say that because sometimes the rules are hard to follow. My first quarterly ever, I was overwhelmed. I looked at Danielle Chandler and Dr. Trevor Botts and asked, “How do I apply all of this? I don’t understand half of it. I know I have to do it, but I don’t know how.” But I did it by following the rules. Just like our patients have to have faith in the rules and follow them, I had to have faith and do the same.
• Track my numbers. Turning in my numbers has helped me many times. We discovered an issue with the presentation. We kept going up and down, up and down.  The numbers dipped: it was the phone calls. It just helps to identify the issue.  If I know my numbers, I can identify where we have a hitch.

So, are you ready for a success story of your own?

If you are, I have good news! We can get you results like this. It won’t be easy, nor will it happen overnight, but I’ve seen it happen so many times that I can tell you that’s it’s possible.
You’ve got to be hungry, driven, up for the work, listen more than you talk, complete more than complain, implement plans more than you announce them, and show up daily with a beginners mind. If you’re ready, it’s time to get to work!